Keep Malden Affordable

Keep Malden Affordable We believe in fiscal responsibility, transparency, and solutions that don’t overburden residents.

Five months ago, Malden residents went to the polls and made their voices heard.During the campaign surrounding the prop...
08/12/2026

Five months ago, Malden residents went to the polls and made their voices heard.

During the campaign surrounding the proposed Proposition 2½ override, residents were told that the City was facing serious financial challenges. We were told that without additional tax revenue, there would be massive cuts. We were told that cash reserves would not be used to fill the gaps. We were asked to believe that an override was necessary to protect city services and maintain the quality of life in Malden.

Now, five months later, we have a very simple question:

Where did all that urgency go?

Because after residents were asked to reach deeper into their pockets, Mayor Gary Christenson is hosting a summer concert series on City Hall Plaza with free pizza, live bands, and city employees working the events.

More proof that the override was NOT NECESSARY.

But when the Mayor and 8 City Councillors tell residents that there isn’t enough money to maintain services, threatens cuts, and insists that reserves cannot be used, taxpayers have every right to ask how these events are being funded.

So let’s ask some basic questions.

Who is paying for the pizza being handed out FREE to attendees?

Who is paying the OVERTIME for the Malden Public Schools cafeteria employee working the food truck at these concerts?

Who is PAYING THE BANDS performing at these concerts?

And perhaps most importantly:

What is the TOTAL COST to Malden taxpayers for this summer concert series?

If the answer is that these events are being funded through private donations, sponsorships, grants, or some other source that does not burden taxpayers, great. Tell us!

If city funds are being used, tell us that, too.

Transparency shouldn’t be something residents have to fight for.

I’m sure the response from City Hall may be, “File a public records request if you want to know.”

No problem..........WE WILL.

Because this isn’t about whether Malden should have summer concerts. It’s about whether residents deserve straight answers about the City’s finances.

And those questions have become even more important given what we have learned since the override campaign.

Residents were told we needed an additional $1.6 million to be paid to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, only to learn 2 days after the special election that an “accounting error” meant that payment was not actually required.

Residents were told that difficult financial decisions were coming.

Residents were told that cash reserves would not be used.

Yet here we are, watching City Hall Plaza transformed into an entertainment venue while taxpayers are still trying to understand the financial decisions that were made and the claims that were presented to them just months ago.

It is fair to question whether these events are about community engagement or whether Mayor Christenson is trying to improve his public image after a difficult political battle over the City’s finances.

Rather than showing us you're being fiscally responsible, you're flaunting that you don't care one ounce about the residents of Malden. Lies will get you nowhere.

Tell Malden residents who is paying for the food. Tell us who is paying the employees. Tell us what the bands cost. Tell us what the City is spending, what outside organizations are contributing, and where every dollar is coming from.

We’re asking for transparency.

We’re asking for accountability.

And most importantly, we’re asking our elected officials to remember that the same residents who were told “there isn’t enough money” deserve to know exactly how the money is being spent today.

Malden residents deserve the truth.

Transparency Isn’t a Talking Point. It’s a Promise to Taxpayers.At Keep Malden Affordable, our mission has always been a...
07/24/2026

Transparency Isn’t a Talking Point. It’s a Promise to Taxpayers.

At Keep Malden Affordable, our mission has always been about more than opposing higher taxes. It is about demanding fiscal responsibility, transparent government, and accountability for every taxpayer dollar.

Residents work hard for their money. They expect City Hall to do the same.

That is why Karen Colón Hayes’ record is concerning as she asks voters to trust her with the office of mayor.

In 2024, the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission found that she violated the state’s conflict of interest law and imposed a $7,500 civil penalty. That finding came from the independent state agency responsible for enforcing Massachusetts ethics laws. (https://www.mass.gov/settlement/disposition-agreement-in-the-matter-of-karen-colon-hayes)

Most recently, the Massachusetts Attorney General found that Councillor Karen Colón Hayes individually violated the Open Meeting Law after engaging in serial communications with enough members of the City Council to constitute improper deliberation outside of a properly posted public meeting. The Attorney General concluded:

“For the reasons stated above, we find an individual violation of the Open Meeting Law when Councillor Colón Hayes deliberated with other Councillors, reaching a quorum of the Council. We order immediate and future compliance with the Open Meeting Law, and we caution that similar future violations may be considered evidence of intent to violate the law.”

The Attorney General also ordered that, within 45 days, the City Council release all written communications, including emails and text messages, exchanged by councillors regarding the Northeast Metro Tech School Committee vacancy. The Council was further ordered to certify that those communications had been released.

At Keep Malden Affordable, we are patiently waiting for the City Council to meet, comply with the Attorney General’s order, and release those communications to the public. Residents deserve to know exactly what occurred. Transparency means allowing the public to see the communications that led to an official finding of an Open Meeting Law violation. We believe the public has a right to review those records and draw its own conclusions.

These incidents also have a real cost. Ethics complaints, Open Meeting Law investigations, legal responses, document production, and compliance efforts require public resources and staff time. Those resources are funded by taxpayers. Every hour spent responding to preventable legal issues is time and money that could have been devoted to improving city services, supporting our schools, investing in infrastructure, or keeping Malden affordable for the families who call it home.

The Open Meeting Law exists to ensure government business is conducted where the public can see it. Residents deserve open debate, not private conversations that ultimately involve a quorum of elected officials.

Transparency means conducting the public’s business IN PUBLIC. It means respecting the laws that protect residents from government decisions being shaped behind closed doors. Most importantly, it means accepting responsibility when an independent state agency finds that those standards were not met.

Every elected official will face difficult decisions and, at times, make errors. What defines a leader is the willingness to own those mistakes, learn from them, and rebuild public trust.

At Keep Malden Affordable, we believe fiscal responsibility and transparent government go hand in hand. Protecting taxpayers is about more than opposing unnecessary tax increases. It is about ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent serving residents, not dealing with avoidable ethics violations and legal compliance issues.

Doing the right thing is not complicated.

Follow the law.

Conduct public business IN PUBLIC.

Respect the taxpayers who elected you.

Malden deserves leadership that values transparency through actions, not just words. It deserves leaders who understand that every taxpayer dollar matters and who recognize that public office is a public trust.

As residents prepare to choose the next mayor, ask yourself a simple question. Do you want a leader who accepts accountability, or one who explains it away?

Tonight, the Malden City Council will receive the FY2027 budget from Mayor Christenson.Please pay close attention to wha...
04/28/2026

Tonight, the Malden City Council will receive the FY2027 budget from Mayor Christenson.

Please pay close attention to what actually happens. Watch which councillors are asking questions and looking for real answers, and which ones are ready to quickly move this along and send it straight to the Finance Committee. That has become the routine, and it does not give residents much insight into how decisions are being made. Only 2 councillors stood with us when we said taxing the residents would not solve a structural deficit without real change.

And there are still A LOT of unanswered questions.

At the April 7th council meeting, the Mayor briefly addressed a major reporting error before running away, taking no questions, and leaving councillors like deer in headlights. What had been presented as a $1.6 million underspend in insurance premiums turned out to be just $62,000. That is a huge difference. That $1.6 million number was used over and over again to justify the override and paint a much worse financial picture.

The Mayor went as far as saying it does not affect the bottom line. More flip flopping to avoid a major error by City Hall. That number CLEARLY influenced decisions and public messaging.

Back in October, we were told to expect a $1.6 million underspend plus another $1.6 million shortfall, meaning $3.2 million was needed just to stabilize the next budget. That clearly doesn’t appears to be the case.

We also heard in November that the FY2027 budget would include about $2 million in cuts. As Chief Strategy Officer Ron Hogan said, every $2 million in cuts equals about 21 positions.

So where are those 21 cuts? Will they be school resource officers like Mayor Christenson promised, the gardener or DEI coordinator, or will they go straight for public safety employees and keep City Hall intact?

If those cuts were part of the plan, residents should be able to clearly see them.

We are also hearing that savings from moving to the GIC may be higher than expected. That is another piece of the puzzle that should be clearly explained.

And all this time since, we still have not heard from the Finance Committee about any long term financial plan. That was a major concern during override discussions. There has been talk of a financial management review, but that does not help with decisions being made right now.

How about economic development? We have not heard from OSPCD Director Alex Pratt about any real plan to grow revenue and strengthen the city’s finances. Cuts alone are not a long term solution.

If you run the numbers, the picture looks very different than what residents were told though. A $5.4 million override, minus $2 million in planned cuts, minus the $3.2 million that no longer appears necessary, leaves about a $200,000 gap.

It is no surprise that trust has taken a hit, especially with this information coming out two days after the special election.

So what will we see tonight? A real conversation with transparency and accountability, or another step that moves this forward without much discussion?

Also worth noting, the Finance Committee will meet before City Council at 5:30 pm. On the agenda is the City’s Consolidated Plan filing with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for FY2027 and a discussion on the schedule for reviewing the full FY2027 annual appropriation order.

You can watch tonight’s meeting on Teams, on Malden Access TV, or on the UMA YouTube channel. You can also show up in person.

If you want your voice heard, consider submitting a public comment to [email protected] for docket item 233-26, where the Mayor will submit the annual appropriations order for the general fund. Residents should be calling for a detailed budget process.

Residents should be paying attention.

🚨 Malden residents: this is happening TONIGHT!!!Meetings like this often go unnoticed until plans are finalized and cons...
04/13/2026

🚨 Malden residents: this is happening TONIGHT!!!

Meetings like this often go unnoticed until plans are finalized and construction is already underway. By then, it’s too late to have a real say.

The Route 60 redesign will directly impact traffic, parking, and daily life for everyone who lives, works, or commutes through Malden.

The city says this is grant funded but that doesn’t mean free. Many of these projects require local matching dollars, which can come back on taxpayers.

If you care about how our roads function, you need to be in the room.

📍 Malden City Hall
🕕 Tonight at 6PM

Can’t attend? Take the survey — it’s critical that residents speak up:

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=LG88QZohkkaX0_K02AKB53d8Jmm82TJPr-XltB-9DndUQkFHRFZZUzVDMEI0OU1IRldZWVlaSjZRNS4u&route=shorturl

Don’t sit this one out. Show up, speak up, and be heard.

As we near two weeks since the special election, it’s a good time to reflect on what we’ve done and what still needs to ...
04/11/2026

As we near two weeks since the special election, it’s a good time to reflect on what we’ve done and what still needs to be done. The work to Keep Malden Affordable did not end on Election Day. It is just getting started.

Two days after the election, we learned the city submitted incorrect insurance premium numbers in its end-of-year report to DESE. If this mistake had not been caught, taxpayers could have paid an extra $1.6 million for insurance the city already paid. This is a serious error with real impact on residents. And why were we not notified when this came to light? Why did the Mayor wait until after the special election? We know the answer, don't we?

"Mistakes" like this require accountability. But when the Mayor appeared before the City Council last Tuesday, there was no apology. There was no clear explanation. He did not take questions. That is not the leadership Malden deserves.

We will not turn our backs on this city. We will stay focused on our mission to Keep Malden Affordable, both in words and in action. At the same time, we urge residents to stay involved and informed.

Two current Malden City Councillors are now running for the Fifth Middlesex District Senate seat being vacated by Senator Jason Lewis. They are campaigning on promises to fix our financial challenges. But residents should ask, if these solutions exist, why haven’t they acted already? As sitting councillors, they have helped shape the city’s financial decisions. Residents deserve to know how we got here and what could have been done differently.

Your voice matters. Ask questions. Attend meetings. Stay engaged.

We also want our supporters to know this campaign was truly grassroots. In less than two weeks, we will file our 30-day post-election finance report with the City Clerk. It will show that this victory was achieved with less than $2,500 spent, less than the $3,500 Mayor Christenson donated from his own campaign account to the Yes for Malden campaign. This was powered by people, not big money.

The work continues. And together, we will keep fighting to Keep Malden Affordable for everyone.

Well, we thought KMA would get a small break before calling out the city for another blunder but here we go.The timing h...
04/03/2026

Well, we thought KMA would get a small break before calling out the city for another blunder but here we go.

The timing here isn’t just concerning, it’s hard to ignore.

For months, residents were told Malden Public Schools faced a $1.6 million net school spending shortfall. That claim shaped public discussion, budget decisions, and ultimately a citywide vote on a tax override.

Now, one day after that override fails (yes folks, 1 day!) we’re being told something VERY different.

Due to “outdated insurance rates,” the City now says the shortfall may have been closer to $62,730, not $1.6 million. At the same time, the City has already identified roughly $3 million in savings from moving to the GIC.

So within 24 hours, the financial picture shifts by millions of dollars.

Residents were warned about layoffs. Urgency was emphasized. Sacrifices were expected. And now the numbers are changing, after the vote.

That raises serious questions.

How does a $1.6 million reporting error happen in the first place? Who provided the incorrect data? What checks and balances failed? And why wasn’t this caught before asking residents to make a major financial decision?

At a minimum, this points to a significant breakdown in financial oversight.

At worst, it raises deeper concerns about whether the full and accurate picture was ever clearly presented to the public.

Either way, residents have every right to question what they were told and why.
This isn’t about politics. It’s about accountability, transparency, and trust.

When millions of dollars appear or disappear overnight, people deserve answers and someone needs to be held accountable.

04/01/2026

With a turnout of 15% of registered voters, the $5.4 million override option fell short by just 124 votes.

We launched this campaign on September 29th when we filed with the City Clerk. No big money. No political machine. Just ...
04/01/2026

We launched this campaign on September 29th when we filed with the City Clerk. No big money. No political machine. Just residents who were fed up and willing to do the work.

With limited funds, we got signs on lawns, dug into the city’s finances, and exposed what too many elected officials hoped no one would question. And the more people learned, the clearer it became, this wasn’t about necessity, it was about mismanagement.

Let’s be honest about what sparked this: the city’s first move was to ask residents to cut back on their own household budgets before making real cuts to its own spending. People saw right through that.

And they responded.

Question 1A failed by just 124 votes. Close? Yes. But it still failed. And that matters. Because it proves that even without mailers, robotexts, or deep pockets, a determined group of residents can stand up and say “no.”

This wasn’t luck. This was accountability.

Residents made it clear: their hard earned money is not a safety net for poor decisions at City Hall. We’ve been through tough times before without raising taxes, and we got through it because leaders made hard choices. That’s what leadership looks like.

To every volunteer who rallied and held signs, donated, delivered signs, and collected ballot numbers last night — you made this happen. This result belongs to YOU.

But don’t get comfortable.

This was a warning shot, not a final victory. The same issues are still there, and the same people are still in charge. If anything, this result makes the next steps even more important.

We’re not letting up. We’re going to keep digging, keep asking questions, and keep demanding transparency and accountability from our elected officials.

This isn’t over. Not even close.

Questions 1B Defeated!!!Question 1A DEFEATED BY 124 VOTES.
04/01/2026

Questions 1B Defeated!!!

Question 1A DEFEATED BY 124 VOTES.

04/01/2026

Update:

Question 1B had failed with over 3000 people voting NO!

Question 1A is close and we are still tallying however it looks like question 1A failed as well.

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Malden, MA
02148

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